A Google Pixel smartwatch is reportedly coming alongside Pixel 3 later this year

Google's fall hardware event will be loaded

Google’s fall hardware event will be filled to the brim with new gadgets. Aside from the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones, we can also expect to see second-gen Pixel Buds and according to serial leaker Evan Blass, a Google-branded smartwatch.

Like the other devices, the rumored wearable will reportedly arrive under the Pixel umbrella. Blass said on Twitter that a reliable source provided the information with high confidence.

This isn’t the first time Google has been tied to a smartwatch rumor. Reports surfaced way back in 2013 suggesting Google was working on a wristwatch although in hindsight, those reports could have been referring to Wear OS (formerly known as Android Wear). More recently, Google was said to be developing two smartwatches for launch in 2017 although as we now know, neither materialized.

It’s a pivotal time for the smartwatch industry. Several manufacturers have scaled back their offerings in recent memory but Google apparently views it as an opportunity to finally enter the market. If and when Google does jump aboard the bandwagon, it’ll be met with some stiff competition from companies like Apple and Fitbit.

Apple, for example, sold an estimated 16 million units in 2017 according to CCS Insights. Wear OS devices have lost momentum, the firm said, predicting that just under five million units will sell in 2018.